Green: Lowrie leaving Sox with a conundrum

Not a month ago, I made some predictions about the Red Sox this season, including this one:  “[Lowrie] will be called up for taste of the majors later in the season, and will set Fenway a-buzz.” If only I had written “sooner” instead of “later.”

Since his call-up, Lowrie has been solid on the left side of the infield and an RBI machine at the plate. The only question is, with the left side of Boston’s infield locked in through 2010, where does Lowrie fit in long-term?

The Red Sox have groomed him to be a shortstop, but it may not be his natural position. He’s worked hard to improve his defense, dramatically lowering his error rate while at Stanford and repeating that trick over two years in Boston’s farm system. Yet even so, this improvement resulted in a pretty dismal .961 fielding percentage at Portland (AA) and a middling .973 mark at Pawtucket (AAA) last year. Yet even if his fielding percentage continues to improve, his range at shortstop is still somewhat stunted, thanks to a slow first step. Because of this, many scouts look at him and see a second baseman rather than a shortstop. The problem is that Boston has the 2007 Rookie of the Year at second base. Third base is out of the question; not only is the position locked down by a freshly-resigned World Series MVP, Lowrie ­doesn’t have the power bat you want from a third baseman. Which puts us right back where we started: shortstop.

And unfortunately, while Boston’s reigning shortstop leaves much to be desired both offensively and defensively, Julio Lugo is still one of the better-paid middle infielders in the majors. That combination makes him very hard to move, unless Boston is willing to pay a significant portion of his salary. If the Red Sox are stuck with Lugo, the remaining option for Lowrie is utility guy. We’ve already seen Lowrie play second, short and third, and “super-utility” guys aren’t the black sheep they once were. Contributors like Chone Figgins and Ryan Freel have blazed a new, more flexible path. Although Brandon Inge complained this spring about losing his fixed position on the diamond, he’s been solid for the Tigers offensively this year while playing catcher, third base and centerfield. Yet Figgins, Freel and Inge are still outliers.

While many of us would rather have Lowrie than Lugo, the realities of the situation have me pondering a different sort of prediction. Sure, Boston’s depth is enviable. The backup guys — Lowrie, Alex Cora, Sean Casey, Coco Crisp — would all be vast improvements over the starters of, say, the San Francisco Giants. But if talent is wasting away on the bench, it makes more sense to trade it.

Yes, Jed Lowrie’s debut did set Fenway buzzing. Now we’re just stuck trying not to get too attached.